BREAKING: Suspect commits suicide after kidnapping woman, barricading himself in home with children

BEAUMONT — Beaumont police are investigating the death of a man from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after he kidnapped a woman, drove her to Louisiana, then returned to Beaumont and barricading himself in a home with two children inside.

Beaumont Police Officer Haley Morrow says it began at about 1:25 a.m. Wednesday when police responded to a residence in the 6700 block of Greenwood after a neighbor called in a disturbance.

The preliminary investigation revealed that a family violence/aggravated kidnapping had occurred. Officers were able to determine the identity of the suspect and victim through previous call history. It was discovered that the suspect had stolen the victim’s vehicle during the kidnapping and officers began searching for the vehicle. At about 2:20 a.m. Wednesday, BPD officers were notified that the victim’s vehicle was spotted in Vinton, Louisiana. Detectives relayed this information to law enforcement in Louisiana and continued their investigation.

At 4:35 a.m., Beaumont police received a 911 call from a residence in the 9600 block of Broun stating that a man was inside the residence with a gun. The suspect was Lee Austin Senegal Jr., the suspect in the Aggravated Kidnapping from Greenwood. When officers arrived on Broun, they located the victim’s vehicle in front of the residence and then located the kidnapping victim as well as the homeowner of the residence. Police say both the kidnapping victim and homeowner were previously in relationships with the suspect.

The investigation revealed that after Senegal kidnapped the original victim on Greenwood, he took her to Louisiana against her will and then drove to the address on Broun and kicked in the door. Officers learned that Senegal then barricaded himself and two children inside the residence. A SWAT call-out was initiated and BPD Hostage Negotiators began speaking with Senegal. They were eventually successful in getting Senegal to release the children. Negotiations went on for more than two hours and officers later found Senegal inside the residence, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"Unfortunately, it's around the holidays," Officer Morrow told KFDM/Fox 4 at the scene. "Still a very sad situation. Children have lost a father. A family has lost someone as well, but we still have victims in this case, so our detectives are still out here investigating and our crime scene techs are out here processing evidence."

Justice of the Peace Ben Collins Sr. has ordered an autopsy.